Shadowhunter Legacy
by AngelOnHeavenlyFire
Summary: Celine is the daughter of Jace and Clary Herondale. Along with her brothers and "cousins," she lives in the Denver Institute as the Downworld liaison. Soon, she finds herself falling in love with her eldest brother's Parabatai and Alec and Magnus' son, Max Lightwood-Bane. However, there's a killer on the loose, determined to take down the Shadowworld with Celine by his side.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My boots hit the pavement with a squelch as the thin layer of water covering the ground from yesterday's rain radiated away from the point of contact. I chanced a glance up at my parabatai still standing on the roof of the abandoned gravel mill to see if he was okay making the jump. A brief flick of his hand was all I needed to refocus my attention on the assignment in front of me and start sprinting. The Shax demon careened across the empty parking lot towards the inner city. The giant pinchers scrapped against the ground every so often. Suddenly bored with my chase, I snagged a Seraph blade from my weapons belt.

"Gavreel."

The blue hue descended upon the blade, lighting up my hand as well as the ground in front of me. Reaching back, I planted my feet, one in front of the other. I whipped my right arm forward, pitching the blade with precision directly into the soft spot on its armored skin, right above its 'armpit.'

The demon collapsed, unmoving on the pavement. It laid there for a few moments giving the appearance of a weirdly-shaped rock in the shadows of the night. One quick blink and the demon had disintegrated into black inchor, pooling on the pavement. Footsteps behind me told me my parabatai had caught up to me.

"Remind me, please, what was the point of my coming?"

I turned around to face him. "Because hunting with me is always a pleasure and you're my parabatai. As my parabatai you have a duty to assist me in battle. Plus, Theo threatened that if I went hunting at night alone again, he would 'confiscate' my sword, and we can't have that now, can we?"

Raphael stared at me through his sapphire eyes as he ran his hands through his thick, raven hair. "So, you're trying to get your brother off of your back, yet you came out wearing a tank top, jeans and boots. _Not_ Gear. If I remember correctly, that was something that Theodore as well as the rest of our family despises."

I shrugged. "Well," I tapped the toe of my boot against the asphalt, "My dear brother will learn the true meaning of 'win some, lose some.'"

"You mean you'll make him learn it."

"Precisely." I grinned wildly at him.

With an unamused look, Raphael reached down and grabbed my left wrist, pulling it towards his abdomen. He then proceeded to twist my arm to inspect it. I winced as the two large gashes made by the Shax demon's pincher strained. "This! This is why we wear Gear, Celine! It protects us, not from everything, but it protects us. That's the only reason we wish you would wear it."

I yanked my arm back with a hiss. "Don't preach to me, Raph! I know _why_ we're supposed to wear it. It's just constricting."

Raphael's face turned to one of incredulousness as he struggled to find words. "IT'S DESIGNED TO NOT BE CONSTICTING! We are Heaven's warriors on Earth after all."

"How poetic."

"Celine-"

I held up my hand to him, palm facing me. "I'm assuming, because you're here, that we got to the mundane too late?" Raph only nodded. "Dammit. Did you kill the offspring?"

"As it crawled out of her dead corpse." His voice held bitterness. I chose to ignore it.

"That was redundant, my friend. The word corpse implies a body without life." I began to saunter away back to the Institute, and I could practically hear his frustration.

The metal cage in the elevator scraped against itself and the floor as it opened into the entryway of the Institute. Not far down the hallway stood a very pissed-looking, older brother of mine. I started to smirk as I began walking in a business-like manner. Raphael followed close behind me, letting a slow breath out almost silently. This was definitely going to be interesting.

"Hey, Theo!" I said cheerily. I gave him my best sweet-sister, toothy smile. Briefly, Raph swore under his breath at what he saw coming.

Let's just say Theo wasn't amused.

Stepping into my path, Theo narrowed his eyebrows as his 5'11" hulking form cast a shadow over my 5'2" small frame. I stopped abruptly, my nose bumping into his chest.

"Yes?" I inquired politely. He didn't answer but leaned farther over me. I sighed. "This isn't going to work. I'm not going to suddenly start talking because you're not." His eyebrows raised in question.

We stood there for all of ten seconds before-

"Fine! She didn't go out alone this time, but she wouldn't wear her gear. Now, if you don't move I can't patch up her arm. And I'm sorry, but I like my parabatai alive. Please yell at her as we go to the infirmary so I can rid her body of the venom and stop the bleeding." To emphasize his point blood splatted against the ground beneath my hand.

I whipped around. "RAPH!"

"NO! No, we are not playing this game! Theo, move!"

Theo stepped to the side, and Raph pushed me forward. Theo fell into step behind us. I contemplated my options. Dig in my heels and say nothing or-

"FINE! Theo, just… just-" I groaned and threw up my hands. I winced as the movement pulled at my wound again. Raph stepped around me and took the lead.

I felt a hand brush at my hair. It landed at the top of my head and stroked down, the fingers catching in my hair. Theo sighed. "What the hell were you thinking? Just because you have to take Raph or someone with you doesn't mean you can break the rules some other way! I don't understand why you just can't follow the rules! Mom and Dad are in Idris! I'm here. You're my responsibility! If you think I'm going to stand back and let you do what you want, you're wrong! If you keep on like this, I'll be calling Mom and Dad to tell them that they're precious, insolent, brat of a daughter is dead, and I'm not making that call, Celine! I'm not!"

I snuck a glance back at him, wondering if he was done with his rant. "I'm not your responsibility. I'm eighteen."

He scoffed. "Like hell you aren't." I groaned inwardly.

Raph opened up the doors to the infirmary and moved to stand by a counter covered in various liquids and ingredients. There was a mortar and pestle with green powder which Raph moved to make a clear space. He then turned around to face me. Grasping my hips, he lifted me onto the counter. He proceeded to poke, prod and insert weird pastes and liquids into my arm.

I watched Raphael do his thing for a minute before turning back to my brother. He, too, analyzed Raphael's movements. Feeling my eyes on him, he met my eyes. Immediately they softened. Sighing, he stepped forward and hair fell into his face. Blowing it away from his eyes, he looked into my eyes intensely.

"What?" I spoke softer and without conviction. It wasn't my intention, but I adored my brother, no matter how much he made my life difficult.

"Are you okay?" He stroked the back of his fingers down the side of my face in his traditional brotherly gesture.

I nodded silently, and he stepped closer again. I rested my forehead on his shoulder. "Sorry."

He shook with a barely audible chuckle. "I appreciate that, but no, you're not."

"No, I'm not." He laughed harder.

Raphael poked hard at a particularly deep part of the gash, and I flinched. Theo took my head in his hands and said, "Hey, I love you, you know that right? Even when I yell."

"Is this what Max being gone for a week does to you? Makes you sappy?"

"Hey! I'm sappy even when he's here! And he's coming back tomorrow, so, by the Angel, I certainly hope so." He pushed my head away as I laughed.

"I'm glad you two have finally made up, but, Theodore, you need to leave, so I can fix her."

"Okay, okay." Theo planted a kiss on the side of my head and stalked away in a very Theo manner.

"Theo!" I don't know what came over me, probably some drug Raph had introduced to my system, but I had to stop him. He turned. "I love you, too."

Theo smiled the smile that makes girls fall to their knees around him and replied, "I know," before exiting the room.

"I've cleaned what I can. I put a salve in to clean out the rest of the poison. I'm going to leave it overnight, and, in the morning, I'll give you an Iratze to seal up the wounds."

I looked down at my arm. There was now two of them… and of Raph. "Oookaaayy." My words slurred. "Yooou druuuuged me."

"Yupp. How else am I going to get you to slow down?" He gave me a superior look.

I felt his arms lifting me, presumably to bring me to a bed, before I lost consciousness.

4


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I woke it must've been late morning because light streamed in through the many windows lining the infirmary, illuminating the entire room by reflecting off of the white beds, but the sun wasn't visible. I laid on my right side with my arms thrown out on the bed. Inspecting my would-be wounds, I deducted Raph had already come in this morning and given me an Iratze while I slept. I normally woke as the sun came up. I must've been exhausted which wasn't all that surprising considering I hadn't been sleeping much recently.

I slowly brought myself to a sitting position while swinging my legs out. After determining I could stand without fear of passing out, I rose and left the infirmary. The only thing I wanted to do was shower. I descended the stairs to the second floor where we all slept. On the left of the hallway was my, Raph's, my older brother, Malachi's, and Theo's rooms. On the right was Max's, Henry's, and Maryse's rooms and the bathroom.

Lost in my own world, I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings and headed straight into the bathroom. It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't alone in the small room. Standing in front of the mirror was Max, Theo's parabatai and Raph's older brother. There was only a white, cotton towel tied around his waist. Bent over the sink, he was brushing his teeth. I was so shocked that it took me a minute to go into action. During that minute I took in his muscled back and toned chest in the mirror. I couldn't see his face, only his mess of black hair perfectly spiked the way he liked. I felt my cheeks warm as I checked out the 22-year-old man I once had a crush on. Quickly, I retreated from the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind me.

I heard his confused grunt through the door, and I yelled, "Lock the door when you're using the bathroom, Moron!"

I could hear his laughter as I hustled down the hall to my room. After closing and locking the door, I leaned against the back of it and slid down to sit on the floor. Absolutely horrified, I replayed the scene in my head. I wasn't a stranger to men. I mean I trained frequently with Raph and my brothers, even Max and Henry, and half the time they were shirtless. I couldn't figure out why I was so affected by seeing Max in a towel. I played it off as just unresolved feelings from my crush and headed to my dresser to prepare a clean outfit. I laid out a pair of lacy black panties and cross-back bra before grabbing a clean black tank top, jeans, and my belt from my closet. As a last thought, I grabbed socks and converse and laid it all out on my bed.

I waited until I was sure Max had left the bathroom before emerging. I briefly knocked on the door before entering the bathroom just to be safe. Once under the hot water, I took a deep sigh of relief because I hadn't encountered Max in the hall. I began to wash the dirt and grime off of myself as I thought about how I would get out of the Institute without Gear on. Perhaps I could tell him I was just going out shopping or something. That would work except I hate shopping, so I'd have to think of something else.

While thinking of the excuses I could make to Theo about not wearing Gear outside the Institute, I began to shampoo my hair. I was rubbing it into a lather when there was a loud pounding on the door. I squealed and jumped against the far bathroom wall. There was deep laughter outside the door.

"I don't which one of you did that, but you're all assholes!" I screamed at the door while my heart rate returned to normal.

I remained on edge for the rest of my shower.

Ten minutes later I walked into the kitchen and found Max, Theo, and Raph sitting at the table. Plates covered in pancakes and syrup sat in front of them. No one said a word as I sat down. I placed a pancake on my plate but neglected the syrup. As I dug in, I felt Theo's eyes on mine.

"Yes?" I mumbled through a mouthful of pancake.

"Where's your Gear?" The question brought Raph and Max to attention.

I simply shook my head and continued to eat. I turned to Max. "Welcome back. How was Idris?" Theo groaned at my lack of response.

Max shot a quick glance at Theo before answering. "It was good. Our parents, yours, and Aunt Iz and Uncle Si send their love. As per usual Dad and Papa wish Raph came to visit with me."

"Sorry about that. Apparently, I need to be watched." I sniped, throwing daggers at my parabatai and brother.

Raph's fork clattered onto his plate as he stood up abruptly. Without saying anything, he dropped his plate in the sink and left through the south door to go to the Infirmary. Max watched him leave carefully before taking a deep breath.

"You really pissed him off this time, didn't you?" Max took another bite.

"Me?" My eyes widened. "What did I do?" I, of course, knew why he would be upset, but it wasn't like it was something new.

"You. Did. Not. Wear. Your. Gear." Theo ground out, making a point to gesture with his head at my bare arms. "Maybe if you went upstairs and put your Gear on before you went out, and Raph didn't have to take care of resulting wounds, he wouldn't be so upset." My brother smiled pointedly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No."

"Yeah, Theo. Didn't you get the memo? Her high-pitched, startled shrieks could scare off any demon that comes near," Max chuckled.

Theo burst into laughter as my cheeks heated. Finished with my pancake anyway, I stood up and put my plate in the sink on top of Raph's. The boys were still laughing when I followed the path recently taken by my parabatai.

"Raph?" I called up to the Infirmary as I ascended the spiral, metal staircase leading to the back room of the Infirmary. There was no response.

Upon entering the Infirmary, I saw Raph furiously grinding some plant into a paste. He ignored my presence and continued to work on whatever Elixir he was making. I silently went to stand next to him.

"So, did you hear my shower shriek, too?" At that Raphael smiled slightly. He nodded, but didn't continue the conversation. "Can I ask which one of the boneheads it was?" I tilted my head to the right slightly.

Still not looking at me and focusing on his work, Raph replied, "Considering who you walked in on, I'm surprised you don't know."

"Right. Max. I guess I should've known." I swung my arms around, waiting. When he didn't say anything, I said, "Well, I guess I'm just going to go get ready and head out to hunt. I suppose you don't want to join me, soo, yeah, bye."

I disappeared quickly from the Infirmary and went straight to my room. I really didn't know how to handle Raph being mad at me. I couldn't figure out if he was mad about last night or the fact that he missed being back together with his whole family because he felt the need to stay and make sure I didn't get myself killed. I sighed as I opened my closet and pulled out my Gear. I guess I wasn't getting out of this one.

I put on my Gear as quickly as I could. As I buckled my weapons belt around my hips, there was a knock on my door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Max. He was biting his nails, and, upon seeing me, his hand dropped to his side. "Wow. You're actually wearing Gear."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, I won't be having a partner to hunt with today, so I better have some kind of back up."

"That's actually why I'm here." Without permission, he threw himself on my bed. "I want to go hunting, but Theo has some business to attend to today, and I thought who would want to come with me? Raph really doesn't have much love for hunting, and since he's mad at you, I figured he wouldn't be going out at all. That leaves you."

I thought about how I really didn't like demon hunting alone even if I made everyone else think I did. "Fine, but you're going to help me get back in Raph's good graces. He's the only one in this family that likes me."

Max looked like he wanted to say something, but I left the room before he could. It didn't take long for him to follow.

3


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Max and I strolled down Colfax Avenue, heading for our favorite diner in Denver, Sam's No. 3. I was slowly picking off the demon guts off of my jacket from this morning's hunt. We had run into two Ravener demons down one of the alleys off of the 16th street mall. It didn't take too long for us to dispatch them.

Max was easily the greatest Shadowhunter in our generation. Being the firstborn into our family 22 years ago, my father began to train him with my uncle, Max's father, as soon as they possibly could. Theo, also 22, didn't start training for another year after Max began because my mother thought my father was being overzealous. Because of this, my father always pushed Max to his limit in terms of training. Not that he didn't with us, his children, too, but Max was always the first priority. Plus, it came naturally to Max. He loved it. If Theo wasn't Max's best friend, my father was. They had a special bond when it came to Shadowhunting. Max spent more time training and hunting than Raph did up in the Infirmary. He also spent more time with my father than I ever had.

While, I, too, am one of the top Shadowhunters, I'll always be the baby of the family. I'm still a few years behind Max in my training. Plus, no one took me quite as seriously because I enjoyed other things as well such as reading. And as much as we say this isn't a factor anymore, I'm a girl. If they had to choose between Max and me for a mission we were both capable of doing, Max would be the one. It's part of the reason I fight with Theo about wearing Gear and going out with other people. I don't feel as if anything I achieve is quite as impressive. I have to find some other way of making it more amazing.

"I think I have a way for you to fix what's between you and my brother."

Snapping out of my inner monologue, I looked up at Max. "You do?"

"Yeah." We reached the diner, so Max pulled open the door to let me walk in. "I think you should tell him to go with Theo and them to Idris in a couple of weeks." He sauntered in behind me and gestured to the girl behind the counter that we would be sitting in a booth hidden from most of the restaurant. She, of course, beamed at him as she usually did and nodded.

I swear Max is going to end up with some venereal disease the way girls throw themselves at him. It doesn't help that he actually likes to take them up on their offers.

We sat down as I contemplated his suggestion. My brothers as well as our cousins, Henry and Maryse, had been planning a trip to Idris to visit all of our parents. It was coming up in a couple of weeks. Max had gone last week because there was an important meeting with the Downworlder heads in Denver at the time. Both Max and I needed to be there. Raph had stayed behind to watch me, and I never planned on going during either trip because I just don't fit in with my family. "Family time" for me usually consisted of everyone joking and laughing and me getting left behind while they all went out shopping. The worst part is that it was never deliberate on their part. They simply forgot about me. I tried getting involved by rushing out to find them, but then I would stand there while they never even noticed I wasn't there in the first place. I was still basically ignored. Thinking about it, it was amazing Raph and I ever found out that we would be perfect as Parabatai, but I wasn't going to neglect that we had either way.

"He won't actually go with them, though. He's the only one that can 'watch' me." I made air quotes to emphasize my point.

Max looked at me hard then at the door. "You're not going to like this suggestion, but you're going to have to give your word that you won't go hunting without me or Gear."

My eyes widened. "I can't make that promise! Our word is sacred. I wouldn't be able to break that!" Max was watching the door as I said this.

Max winked at me. "Exactly. It's the only way he'll go to Idris, and you and I both know he needs to go. He misses our Dads. He deserves to go."

I knew he was right, but I really didn't want to make that promise. "Fine!" I threw up my hands frustrated and bit my lip. Max's eyes travelled from the door to my lip.

"Stop that. You'll make it bleed." His voice was lower than it had been. He returned his gaze to the door.

I looked behind me. "Waiting for someone?" I snapped my fingers in his face. He caught my hand in his and brought it down to the table, but didn't let go.

"Yes, actually, Theo. I invited him for lunch." Just then Theo walked up with a pretty, blonde girl on his arm. There was another one that looked too similar to the first for her to not be her sister. Max quickly let go of my hand and dropped both into his lap. Blonde number 2 sat down next to Max. Both girls were Shadowhunters.

"Hey, baby." Max smiled at the girl next to him as she cooed in his ear.

Theo thumped my shoulder. "Hey, you mind if you pull up a chair so Ashley and I can sit together?"

"Yes," I said, completely deadpanned. When Theo just gave me a look, I sighed. "I have to go to the bathroom anyway, I guess." I got up, and the two of them slid into the booth.

I rolled my eyes when I saw that Max was now sucking face with blonde number 2. I hated it whenever they brought their girlfriends to hang out when I was around. It just made me obsolete again. Theo and Max would pay attention to their "ladies" (their word, not mine) while their "ladies" blatantly ignored me and talked. I decided that instead of going to the bathroom, I was just going to leave. There was no point in my staying anymore anyway. As I left the diner without Max and without food, I decided that I would take one last hunt by myself before going to find Raph.

And guess what? Neither Theo nor Max even noticed I left.

Max's POV

I watched Celine walk past the diner through their front window. She left as she usually did when our girlfriends were around. I honestly couldn't blame her. These girls were usually kind of bitchy. I knew she really didn't like to hang around with us much as she's into her own thing being only 18.

She really should wear her Gear more often. It flatters her quite nicely. I had to stop myself on more than one occasion from checking her ass out. She was Theo's baby sister for the Angel's sake, yet when she bit her lip, I nearly lost it. I don't know when I started noticing she had become a woman, but it was becoming quite annoying. I shouldn't be attracted to her. I shouldn't be noticing. She's family basically. I mean not really. We were cousins by technicality only. Celine wasn't actually related by blood to me. A fact I had to tell myself every time I let myself admire her beauty. I always feel guilty after I do. I just need to stop.

I felt a tug on my arm. "Maxy, where are you? Come back to us." Mackenzie smiled seductively at me. By the Angel, she was annoying. The only reason I agreed to date her was because Theo started dating her older sister, Ashley.

Needing to get Celine out of my head, I leaned in towards her. "Your place."

She smiled again before we left Theo and Ashley at the diner.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Raphael stood at his workbench in the Infirmary, inspecting the various components on his bench. Currently, he tried to decide which of the four herbs he hadn't tried before would make his elixir for werewolf bites work, if any. By this point he'd tried almost everything, and he was starting to get frustrated. He reached for the wolf's bane. Could it really be that simple? Raphael had avoided trying to use the herb as an activator for fear it would speed up the process instead. Shrugging, he decided to try it anyway. There was always a lot of trial and error in this process anyway.

He'd just pulled out the cork stopper of the glass bottle when searing pain went through the side of his neck first and then his side. Dropping the bottle and cork, Raphael leaned against the bench to get his bearings. The pain in his side began to dull, but his Parabatai rune burned red hot.

Ashley collapsed against Theo's side as she finished her lunch, her head falling to his shoulder. Theo grabbed another fry from his plate and dragged it through the ketchup before tossing it into his mouth. "Good?"

"Mm." She sat back up with a smile in his direction then frowned. Before he could ask, she questioned, "Do you think Max and Mackenzie are having sex?"

Theo froze, a fry midway to his mouth. "Um." He set the fry down. "I don't usually think about Max having sex. Doesn't do anything for me."

She giggled and shoved his shoulder before becoming serious again. Man, he hated when she was serious. He was beginning to realize he only really enjoyed hanging out with her when everything was light and happy. She wasn't much of a conversationalist except when it came to herself and the things she cared about. It was obvious she didn't do much deep thinking. He sighed, knowing that as much fun as he had with her, he was going to have to break up with her soon.

"I'm serious, Theo. I don't like the idea of my baby sister losing her virginity to a boy like Max. His reputation is known."

Theo rolled his eyes and snorted. There was no way Mackenzie was still a virgin, but he didn't want to upset Ashley any more than she already was. "If they are, so what? She's 20, an adult. It's not like we don't-"

"What we do and what they do are not the same thing." She gave him a stern look.

Theo sighed in defeat. "If it makes you feel any better, Max doesn't do virgins. Says they end up too clingy. So if your sister is a virgin, the most they'll do is fool around. Clothes will stay on, okay?" Of course, more than likely Max was going to town with the not-virgin Mackenzie.

Ashley immediately perked up. "Really?" Theo nodded. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better."

Just then, Theo's phone began to ring. Ashley gave him a look telling him not to pick up as Theo answered. She sighed in defeat.

"Raph?"

"Theo!" His voice was desperate and gargled. Immediately, an uneasy pit in Theo's stomach formed. Something was wrong, and if Raph was calling him, either something happened at the Institute and Max was indisposed, or… "Theo, my Parabatai rune is burning, and when I was working on my elixir, my side had immense pain go through it. Something happened, Theo. Celine's hurt. Bad. What happened? Weren't you meeting her and Max for lunch?"

Full panic set in, and Theo rose from the table and hurried towards the door, leaving a confused Ashley rushing to catch up. "They left. Celine first then Max with Mackenzie."

"Ugh, that-"

"Not now, Raph! Can you try to track her? I'm going to find Max, now. If you can track her, Max should be able to track you."

"I'll try, but Theo, I'm so scared I don't know if I'll be able to."

"Try, Raph! Try hard. If she's hurt as bad as you think, we may not make it in time even if you can. If you can't, Max and I will meet you and go from there."

Max's POV

Mackenzie rubbed against me where her legs straddled my hips as my tongue invaded her mouth. She moaned and dragged her nails down my now bare chest. Her nails were too sharp, though, so it stung the whole way down. I tried to focus on the task at hand and drew her shirt up with my hands. I pulled it off and threw it to the side, only briefly separating our mouths. A flash of blonde hair and pale skin was all I saw in the next few moments. Slowly, Mackenzie's blue eyes faded more to green. Suddenly completely into it, I lifted her and flipped us over. She squealed, and I leaned back as the squeal didn't sound right. Realizing, it was still Mackenzie under me, I grew disappointed.

Mackenzie rubbed my chest. "What's wrong, baby?" She leaned in for another kiss.

I got up, buttoned my pants, and began to look for my shirt. "Sorry. I don't feel like it right now." Something was eating at me, and I couldn't figure out what. Something just seemed off.

"You don't _feel_ like it? But you always feel like it!" Mackenzie was clearly put off.

I opened my mouth to reply as I pulled my shirt over my head when someone banged on the door.

"MAX! C'MON! We have to go find my idiotic sister!" A muffled Theo voiced.

I crossed to the door in two strides. Yanking open the door, I reached for my jacket and belt with my other. "What happened?"

Theo's face was etched with concern. Dammit Celine. "I- I- I don't know. Raph called. Said she was hurt. Have to find her. You need… track Raph. Please." Theo rambled, his panic becoming more and more apparent.

It was starting to rub off apparently.

My chest began to feel tight as the image of Celine hurt and unable to do anything as some demon went in for the final blow. Quickly, I buttoned up my jacket and secured my belt, completing my Gear ensemble. "We'll find her, don't worry." Not that I could stop. With that, I exited Mackenzie's apartment, not saying a word to her, and Theo and I made our way to find Raph and, hopefully, Celine.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Celine's POV

My head pounded from where the Scorpios demon had thrashed its long, barbed, needle-tipped tail into my skull which had sent me flying into the brick building on one side of the alley. I was now lying on my stomach. Pushing against the ground with the palms of my hands, I attempted to pull myself into a position to crawl. However, I had lost so much blood, from my head and from where his tail had pierced my side earlier, I had lost all my strength. I lifted my head to find the Scorpios demon's yellow eyes rolling but locked on me. It appeared to be seeing if its prey was alive still. Dropping my head back to the pavement, I thought about my options. Given the rate I was bleeding from my head and side, I had maybe a half hour before my heart stopped, less than until I became unconscious. If I tried to get up and fight, which it didn't look like I even could, another blow would probably take me out. There was no way I was getting out of death at this point. Even if Raph had felt my injuries through the Parabatai bond, I didn't know if he would come. He thought I was with Max, after all. I closed my eyes to rest as there was no other options for me but to wait for death. Man, Theo was going to resurrect me and kill me again for this one.

I replayed the last 15 minutes or so in my head. I had been using my sensor to track the demon. The pulse hadn't been strong enough for it to a Greater Demon or more than 2 lesser demons. I figured I had stumbled upon Raum demons. After turning into the alley, I was blindsided with the quick attack of the Scorpios. I had been stupid and had not been fully aware of my surroundings. It had hidden in a doorway to the right, and since Scorpios are fast, I hadn't had time to jump out of the way before its tail slammed into my side. From there, I tried my best to fight, but I lost speed and agility with my injury. Eventually, it led to my head getting bashed in and my now lying on the pavement.

I heard the hiss of the Scorpios demon, and I lifted my head to see if it was going to attack again. Call me a masochist, but I wanted to know if I was going to be killed. I was surprised to see in my own hazy fog, no doubt caused by the head injury, the demon was not looking at me, but beyond me, down the alley. My vision in that direction was blocked by the dumpster I had landed next to, meaning whoever was down the alley couldn't see me either. Laying my head back down, I tried to listen for anything.

I could vaguely hear men's voices talking. Probably some mundanes passing through the alley. Little did they know, they were about to become the Scorpios' next victims.

"Do you think she came this way?"

"I don't KNOW!"

"Well, FOCUS!"

"STOP IT! This isn't helping!"

"You want to find her don't you?!"

"Of course, I do, but you putting more pressure on Raph is not going to find her faster."

Raph? RAPH!

My sudden joy at the fact that Raph had come looking for me was short-lived as I realized they must not have noticed the demon standing farther down the alley because they were fighting amongst themselves. I lifted my head to assess the demon again. It was getting in a position to attack. If it mobilized before they were aware, they wouldn't stand a chance. Moving slowly and grinding my teeth against the pain, I reached down and yanked my last seraph blade from my belt.

" _Taharial."_ The blade glowed to its given name even though it came out barely a whisper.

Using the last of the strength I had, I rolled onto my right side. It wasn't my best idea considering that's where my injury was. I was dominant right, but I was out of time. I chucked the blade in the direction of the demon with my left hand. I missed horribly, but it caught the demon's attention at least. Hissing in my direction, the demon changed targets back to me. It swung its tail at me. I sent a quick prayer up to the Angel as I watched the cause of my death making its way to end me.

The Scorpios' tail stopped in midair when an arrow connected directly into its chest. Three more follow. One in each eye and another it its chest. Then Theo came into view swinging his Morgenstern blade to disconnect its head from its body. Inchor flew, and seconds later, the demon disappeared back to its realm.

Someone touched my shoulder, and I brought my eyes away from Theo and where he stood amid inchor. "Celine." Raph was crouched over me, his eyes filled with panic and relief. It didn't take him long to begin assessing my wounds.

Max quickly came into view as he sprinted down the alley. He clutched his bow in his hand, the intricate yet delicate runes on it glowing. He abruptly stopped when he met my gaze. Breathing heavily, he changed directions and dropped to his knees next to Raph. He opened his mouth, keeping eye contact with me.

"How bad? What do you need?" He moved his gaze from me to Raph.

Raph glanced at him and then at Theo, who had come to join us. "She's lost a lot of blood."

"No shit. I can see the ground. For the Angel's sake, I'm kneeling in it." Max's words came out harsh. I wanted to snap at him that Raph was just doing what he could and that he was worried enough as it was, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.

Theo's hand came to rest on my head. I closed my eyes. "Can we- Will she-" He couldn't get out the words.

Raph replied, but his voice was muffled to my ears. I focused on Theo's hand on my head, lightly stroking my hair. He was careful to not brush against my wound. I relaxed, knowing Raph and Theo would take care of me. I was pulled out of my peace when…

"CELINE! OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES RIGHT NOW!" Max sounded as if he was in a complete panic. I don't know why he cared so much. Maybe he was worried what my dying would do to Theo and Raph, but I didn't care right now. I just wanted to rest.

I limply shoved my arms towards his direction in an attempt to get him to shut up, but I didn't open my eyes. Max caught my hand and cradled it between his. "Raph? Do you need her to be at the Infirmary?"

"Well, I can't save her here, but I don't know if she'll survive a Portal and any other way would take too long."

"Then she better survive the Angel-damned Portal." My hand dropped to the pavement as Max let go, and I felt strong arms slid under my knees and back.

When the arms lifted me to adjoined chest, I writhed against it and cried out. The pain was making its way back into my consciousness. The body against mine stilled but held me tight until I stopped moving and relaxed back against it.

I vaguely remember the sound of a Portal before giving completely into unconsciousness.

Max's POV

I stared at Celine's blood as I leaned against the kitchen counter. My arms and Gear were covered in it, though it had dried. Theo and Raph had seemed so worried I had decided to take charge. I carried Celine through the Portal, and thank the Angel she had survived. After setting her down in a bed, I had excused myself to let Raph do his thing. Theo had come down with me to the kitchen, but he still hadn't said a word.

Leaning over, I turned on the faucet. I probably should wash this off. As I scrubbed, Theo rose from the table to look out the window. "Guess I won't be going to Idris now."

I shot a glance at him over my shoulder, but continued what I was doing. Red-tainted water swirled around the sink before going down the drain. "Of course you will. You will all go, and Raph will join you. You will see the family and have a great time."

"Someone needs to watch her."

"And I'm incapable?" I sighed and shut off the water with the realization I just needed a damned shower. "Look, Theo, I'll be here. I highly doubt she'll do anything too drastic after this incident, so keeping an eye on her shouldn't be too difficult."

"Fine. But this is her last strike. She pulls another stunt like that, and I'm telling our parents and sending her back home. She needs to learn some restraint."

I sighed. "I don't disagree. Honestly, I don't know why you've given her so many passes already."

Before Theo could reply, the door burst open and a very large Malachi strode through, Xander right behind him.

"Where's our bloody sister?!" Malachi had a presence that dominated the room despite being a year younger than both Theo and I at 21.

While Malachi stood over Theo waiting for an answer, Xander opened the fridge and pulled out some leftovers before sitting at the table. "She's alive right? So, who cares? She's stupid and reckless and needs to get the fuck out of our hair. I swear if she ruins another day of mine, I'll chop all of her hair off."

I restrained myself from punching the youngest Herondale brother in the throat. No one could figure out why, but he absolutely despised his younger sister and acted as if she was just a burden to him. Malachi loved her about as much as Theo, although they weren't as close.

Theo just pinched his nose and said, "Mal, she's in the Infirmary, but wait for Raph to come down. Xander, go home if you don't care. I'm too tired to deal with your bitterness right now."

With that, I left to go take a shower. It was about 13 days before they would all leave for Idris, and I couldn't help but wonder if what I had said to Theo was true. Would I be able to watch over Celine while they were gone? Or would I end up letting her get killed?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Celine's POV**

My eyes felt heavy as they opened and immediately landed on Raph, who sat to my left. The metal chair he sat in looked extremely uncomfortable. With his feet planted firmly on the floor, he was bent over, elbows on his knees. His hands hung limply, and his head was bowed toward the floor. I briefly wondered in my haze if he was asleep then decided he wasn't cat-like enough to fall asleep in that position.

"Bet I scared the hell outta you this time." My words slurred over themselves as I tried to gain some control over myself.

Raph's head whipped up, and his eyes met mine; however, he didn't say a word. I brought my hands up to about my waist and pushed against the bed, sliding the lower half of my body up the bed, so I sat up. Raph knew what I needed and moved to prop my pillows up, and I leaned against the headboard once again. Again, Raph just looked at me.

I played with my fingers and ignored the pain in my head as I said rather meekly, "Say something."

It took a couple minutes, but I felt lips pressed into my hair before… "I'm just relieved to see you awake and coherent." He took a seat in the chair again. "Your brothers are here. I'm sure they're headed back up. They've been here all day, but they went to grab food."

I nodded, not interested in my brothers, especially Xander. "You're still going to go to Idris, right?"

"Yeah. I wasn't going to at first, neither was Theo, but Max convinced us we both should go. Said he was going to keep a close eye on you for us." He winked… and failed as he usually does. I recognized it as an attempt to get me to smile.

I forced one, although I didn't want to. I had no doubt that Raph saw right through it, but he didn't say anything. I was a little disappointed he wasn't going to stay. "That's good. You should still go. I wouldn't want you to stay on my account. I swear by the Angel I won't be reckless anytime soon." My voice cracked towards the end of my sentence. I felt a tear slide down the right side of my face, and my hands shook where they sat in my lap. Suddenly my face was pressed into a shoulder and arms wrapped around me. I breathed in the familiar scent of Theo.

Theo pulled back to look at me. "You're okay, Celine. That's all that matters right now. Don't think about it."

"Theo, I was…" I couldn't finish as I made eye contact with Xander, who was death glaring me over Theo.

My terror turned to anger. I fully pulled away from Theo and redirected my focus to my youngest older brother. "What are you looking at, shit-face?"

"Not much, you self-serving bitch."

I scowled. I never understood why he felt the way he did about me, but I wasn't having any of it.

Malachi elbowed Xander, not so subtly. "Dude."

"No! She just wants attention. In fact, she's an attention whore. She doesn't respect Shadowhunting, and she makes our lives hell!"

Theo leapt off the bed. I grunted as I was jostled, sending pain through my body. "That is ENOUGH, Xander. Celine has been through a lot the past 48 hours, and you don't need to add to it! For once, can there just be peace between you two?"

Xander narrowed his eyes at Theo, and Malachi looked between the two, obviously debating whether he would need to get in between them as he frequently did for me and Xander. "No." Xander walked out.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I hated the relationship between Xander and myself, but at some point, he decided to hate me. Ever since then, he would only make snide remarks about me and would avoid being in my presence. Some people would say, he was just being a brother, but Theo and Mal picked on me frequently. It was never as harsh or mean as what Xander would do.

"You okay?" Raph nudged my left side.

I nodded and dragged my hands over my face. "Same old, same old," I groaned.

The absent presence suddenly hit me. "Where's your brother?"

Raph shrugged. "He said he was fine, and he acted fast when we were trying to save you, but I could tell it affected him. Said he was going out to Pandemonium, presumably to pick up some poor girl." He smirked. It was one similar to what Max would make, except Max used it more than Raph.

I only nodded, not wanting to think about Max and the sex with some random girl he was likely having. I almost wished he was here. I turned back to my brothers. "Mal, how are you doing? I feel like it's been a while since I've seen you."

"Like what? A week?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Just answer the question, butt-munch."

"Good, little sister. Although, I don't get to hang out in a bed for a while like some."

I suddenly became tired, so I slid down into the bed more. Theo hovered. "Mal, Raph, let's let her rest. I think we've tired her out already." He smiled, but it was strained.

I watched them leave before trying to fall back asleep, but my mind kept running and thinking. Mostly it lingered on the feel of the Scorpios' tails slamming into my body, but occasionally it drifted back to Max's voice when he took charge.

" _CELINE! OPEN YOU'RE FUCKING EYES RIGHT NOW!"_

" _Then she better survive the Angel-damned Portal."_

And I couldn't help but think about how he seemed so much more desperate than Theo or Raph at the time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Celine's POV

I threw down the Wii remote. "I give up." I crossed my arms out of stubbornness. I bounced my legs as I sat on the couch in Henry's room. I had been kept in the Institute for almost 2 weeks now. The family was leaving for Idris tomorrow, and, until then, I was to remain in the Institute with no training or physical exertion. The physical restrictions came from Raph, part of the deal if he was going to go to Idris, and Max was going to keep me to it. The restriction to the Institute was an order given by the head of the Denver Conclave, Jeremiah Whitethorn. This was his way of punishing me for my actions. He probably would've kept me holed up longer if there hadn't been the meeting with the Downworlders coming up as well as most of his Shadowhunters leaving on vacation.

My punishments didn't end there, though. I was now on probation by my mother who, after getting wind of my little adventure, proceeded to call and yell at me about how I ruined Theo's day. I mean, what about _my_ day? It was pretty much shot to hell. My mother never said she was glad I was okay, and my father wouldn't even speak to me. According to Raph later, he said they were actually terrified. This had come from his father, my Uncle Alec. Of course, knowing Uncle Alec, he was just trying to make me feel better after hearing everything that had happened. I doubted my parents really gave a shit about whether I was okay.

Henry, my cousin whose parents were my Aunt Maryse and Uncle Simon, patted my leg and laughed at me. "Aw, c'mon, you're getting better, and you're not playing against me or else you'd be really frustrated." He finished off the round of Super Smash Brothers we had been playing and turned off the TV. "So, we've been playing various video games over the past two weeks, and, not that I haven't enjoyed it, but aren't you getting bored?"

I sighed. "Of course I am, but I can't do much else. I've read maybe a book a day and played with you and ate, but what else can I do? I'm just glad tomorrow I get to leave this infernal place again."

"With Max as an escort."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. He hasn't even looked at me since the incident. He's pissed off that I put Theo and, more importantly, Raph through that."

Henry gave me a knowing smile. "I don't think he's mad at you."

I turned to look at him. His glasses had slid down his nose and he pushed them back up. "Oh, really?"

"No."

"Care to elaborate?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

I kept quiet and scrutinized him, but he didn't say anymore. Then he got up and began to pack for his trip. "Fine. I'm leaving. I probably will sleep in tomorrow, so I hope you have a good trip. See you when you're back."

Henry merely laughed at my tone.

* * *

Raph stomped into my room right as I was getting to an exciting part in my book. The main character had just entered a formidable enemy's home in order to steal something for her Lord and friend. I didn't close my book when he entered, nor did I acknowledge him.

"Celine."

"Shh."

"Celine." He plucked the book out of my hands. Lucky for him, he knew me and marked my spot with a bookmark before closing it and placing it on the nightstand. I simply glared at him. "I know you hate when people interrupt you, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I figured we better say goodbye now because you probably won't be up."

"Damn straight."

Raph chuckled and pulled me up from my place on the bed. Wrapping into one of his traditional hugs, he murmured in my ear. "Don't do anything rash while I'm gone. Remember Max is to be with you at all times when you leave the Institute. Please adhere to that, or I'm coming straight home." He squeezed me harder, making me feel safe.

"I promise." It still came out begrudgingly, but it was better than nothing. I squeezed him back before he left back to his room without another word.

* * *

Max's POV

"Keep an eye on her. She might have been slowed down these past couple weeks because of recovery and punishment, but I have no doubt if you give her some free reign again, she'll go back to her ways." Theo told me yet again. He was about to step through the portal after the others.

I patted him on the back and glanced towards Raph, who waited for me. "Dude, I already told you I will. I'll watch her extremely closely. I'm not letting another incident like that happen again."

Theo nodded and stepped through the portal, and I saw Raph step up to me. Raph was more the hugger in the family, but this time I pulled him close to me. Raph held me back tightly and gave a shaky sigh.

"Everything is going to be just fine, little brother. I'm going to ensure you still have a parabatai when you get back, okay?"

Raph nodded into my shoulder. The past couple of weeks had been hard on him. Celine didn't know how much she meant to Raph, but I did. That night I had grabbed a pillow and a blanket and slept on his floor to make sure he was okay. Neither of us slept a wink because Raph couldn't stop thinking about it. We spent the whole night talking, which wasn't totally unusual for us but still wasn't the norm.

I went to pull away, but Raph mumbled, "I'm not done."

"Raphael." I was one of the few who could use his full name.

Eventually he stepped back. "I can't remember a time where I was alone without either you or Celine."

I gave him a small smile. "I believe this will be the first time neither of us will be there, but you have our parents and the rest of our family. Try not to worry too much about it."

He nodded solemnly before stepping through the portal.

Once the portal closed, I headed back inside only to be bombarded by a large crash upstairs and screaming. "Son of a bitch. This couldn't have happened when Raph was still here."

After the incident, Celine had started having nightmares, horrible nightmares. They were ones where she would thrash about and scream. Raph had been the one to go and wake her up, and, recently, they'd stopped. However, they appeared to have returned, unfortunately for me. I hadn't spoken to Celine since the incident, and I avoided her when I could. Every time I looked at her, the metal tang of blood wafted over me and painted itself on her head and body where she had been injured. She became my own nightmare, so I evaded being around her. That was going to change now that everyone had left. Not only did we have the meeting together, but I told Raph to tell her that I would help her train and, if she was ready, take her out hunting.

Dammit.

I bolted up the stairs and ran into her room. She had knocked over the lamp next to her bed. Moving around the shattered glass, I deftly sat on her bed next to her thrashing form. I reached up and stroked the side of her head. "CELINE!" Her eyes shot open and searched wildly before landing on me. I continued to stroke the side of her face until her breathing returned to normal. "Bad dream?" I asked nonchalantly.

She gave me a withering look before sitting up. "You could say that," she mumbled sarcastically. "I take it they've left then if you're here."

"What? Not happy to see me?"

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I smiled. So far, so good. No imaginary blood to speak of. Maybe it just happened when Raph or Theo were around… or when she needed me to not freak out on her.

"If you're done here, I'd like to shower and get ready. You can go off and do whatever it is you've been doing. You're under no obligation to spend time with me because we're the only two here. At the very least, I'll see you for the meeting in a couple of days."

So she had noticed my absence. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't the tiniest bit pleased that she had. "What if I want to watch?"

She wasn't amused. "You have a girlfriend. What's her name? Whore?"

Now, I wasn't amused. "It's Emilie. She's quite the woman, actually."

Celine narrowed her eyes. "Great tits and no brain, you mean."

"You really are impossible." I got off the bed and left with a curse under my breath at her. If she didn't want me to be around then I wouldn't be around.


End file.
